ZOGRAFOU, Greece – Four Shockers finished in double figures and Wichita State finished its Greece Summer Tour 3-0 following an 84-73 win Wednesday night over the University of Calgary.
Similar to the first meeting just two days ago, Wichita State built a sizeable lead only to see the Dinos mount a comeback to make it interesting in the fourth quarter. The Shockers led by as many as 19 in the third quarter but that lead was whittled to just five heading to the fourth.
Dalen Ridgnal and Kenny Pohto scored a team-high tying 16 points, while Ronnie DeGray III and Quincy Ballard added 12 and 11, respectively. Ballard scored in double figures all three exhibition games.
With the scored tied 9-9 in the opening stages of the game, Wichita State would outscore Calgary, 15-5, the rest of the quarter to take a 24-14 lead.
The Dinos climbed back within four just a little over halfway into the second quarter only to see another Shocker spurt to close the half. An 11-0 run pushed the Wichita State lead to 40-25 at halftime, closed by a Ridgnal three-pointer and two Jalen Ricks free throws.
Wichita State kept that momentum rolling to open the second half behind scores from Joy Ighovodja, Pohto, Beverly and a three-point play from Ballard. Back-to-back scores from Ricks made it 55-36, and that’s when Calgary made its comeback bid.
A 12-2 run cut it to 57-48, and then three straight triples to end the period, saw the score shrink to 62-57.
Another Calgary trey on the opening possession of the fourth quarter made it 62-60. After a pair of Ridgnal free throws, the Dinos scored four straight to tie the game at 64-64. Wichita State answered back with four straight until a Calgary triple made it 68-67.
Leading by just one, Wichita State delivered the knockout blow with an 11-2 run, extending the cushion back to 10.
A DeGray three-pointer and a Pohto layup upped the lead to 84-71 in the final minute to seal the victory.
Wichita State finished its foreign tour in Greece with three double digit wins – two of those against the University of Calgary.
The Shockers will now turn its attention to the real deal with the 2023-24 season opener on Nov. 6 vs. Lipscomb in Charles Koch Arena. Season tickets are on sale now by visiting the Shocker Ticket Office in Charles Koch Arena or by calling 316-978-FANS.